The story is told through the eyes of Hwang Jang-yop, a renowned philosopher and writer, former International Secretariat of North Korea, and mentor to Kim Jong-il. It narrates Hwangs journey in his battle against Kims greed for power. It reveals a three-dimensional portrait of Kim Jong-il rarely chronicled, from Kims early days and rise to power to his economic crisis and his continual power struggle.
As well as recording the life of Kim, Exit Emperor Kim Jong-il recounts Hwangs defection from North Korea so he could tell the world about the corrupt dictatorship and its policies that he felt were responsible for the massive famine in North Korea. Through testimonies from Hwang and other defectors from North Korea, this biography reveals what was going on inside the man, Kim Jong-il, and the society he ruled.
John H. Cha has written several volumes of biographies about Korean and American leaders and is an award-winning translator of Korean literature into English. Cha lives in Oakland, California.
K. J. Sohn is editor-in-chief for DailyNK, a multilingual internet newspaper specializing in North Korea issues. A former fellow at National Intelligence Service of Korea, he was the secretary to Hwang Jang-yop, the highest ranking defector from North Korea.
John H. Cha has written several volumes of biographies about Korean and American leaders and is an award-winning translator of Korean literature into English. Cha lives in Oakland, California.
K. J. Sohn is editor-in-chief for DailyNK, a multilingual internet newspaper specializing in North Korea issues. A former fellow at National Intelligence Service of Korea, he was the secretary to Hwang Jang-yop, the highest ranking defector from North Korea.